The present invention relates generally to an accumulator within a heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVACandR) system, and more particularly to an accumulator that includes a desiccant and is integral with the compressor of the HVACandR system.
Air-conditioning systems commonly employ an accumulator to ensure delivery of refrigerant in its vapor state to the compressor to avoid damaging the compressor. The accumulator delivers refrigerant vapor by typically employing a tube which extends from the upper portion of the accumulator to the lower portion, the tube further extending from the lower portion of the accumulator to a suction opening to the compressor. A mix of liquid and vapor refrigerant entering the top portion of the accumulator is directed around the opening in the tube for circulation within the body of the accumulator. Liquid refrigerant is separated from vapor refrigerant which is permitted to flow to the compressor, while the liquid refrigerant is collected and retained within the accumulator. In certain system configurations, the accumulator may be housed within the compressor shell.
To further enhance performance of an air-conditioning system, an in-line refrigerant filter may be employed to remove impurities from the refrigerant flow. The in-line filter is typically separately installed on the low pressure side of the system between the compressor and the evaporator. The installation of the filter requires a pair of brazed joints at opposed ends of the filter in order to secure the filter into the refrigeration lines of the system. In addition, the in-line filter can also include a desiccant to remove moisture from the refrigerant flow. Some examples of accumulators and/or filter arrangements can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,575,833 and 5,562,427 that are directed to an accumulator provided with a desiccant, and an accumulator housed within a compressor that is provided with a desiccant, respectively.
While systems formerly using refrigerants such as R-22 typically did not require inclusion of a desiccant filter to operate at near peak performance levels, systems using newer refrigerants such as R-410a often require the desiccant filter for proper operation of the system. Therefore, existing systems that are incorporating these newer, more environmentally friendly refrigerants will require the installation of a separate in-line desiccant filter for optimum performance. Further, it is common in the HVACandR industry to replace any desiccant in the system at the same time as the compressor is replaced, which replacement process requires the installer to unbraze and braze four separate connections in the refrigerant line, two at the compressor and two at the drier.
Therefore, what is needed is an accumulator with a filter and desiccant that is integral with the compressor assembly that can simplify the replacement process and work efficiently with newer refrigerants.
The present invention is directed to a compression device for use in a HVACandR system having a refrigerant flowing through the system. The compression device includes a compressor to compress refrigerant vapor having a compressor shell. The compressor has a compressor inlet to receive refrigerant vapor and a compressor outlet to transmit compressed refrigerant vapor from the compressor. An accumulator removes liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant flow and provides refrigerant vapor to the compressor. The accumulator has an accumulator inlet to receive refrigerant and an accumulator outlet in fluid communication with the compressor inlet to transmit refrigerant vapor to the compressor. The accumulator has a shell that is integral with the compressor shell to form a single casing assembly for the compression device. A desiccant is disposed inside the accumulator between the accumulator inlet and outlet for removing moisture from the refrigerant.
One advantage of the present invention is that it simplifies the installation process of a compressor and desiccant by eliminating the need for two brazed joints in the system.
A further advantage of the present invention is that by combining an accumulator with a desiccant, an inventory parts reduction may be realized in that a casing for the filter and/or desiccant is not required.
A still further advantage of the present invention is that the integrally combined compressor and accumulator/desiccant provide the advantages of space savings and moisture removal from the refrigerant without the cost associated with a system which employs a desiccant external to the compressor assembly.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.